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Book Review: SEGRETOvignettes (it's goood)

Hello friends! I hope y'all had a relaxing Labor Day weekend! I'm super excited about this post today. A couple of weeks ago, I received a copy of SEGRETOvignettes by the incredibly talented (and super sweet) Leslie Sinclair. I've been a longtime follower of Leslie's blog Segreto Finishes and a big fan of hers in general. I often refer to my copy of SEGRETO: Secrets to Finishing Beautiful Interiors when I'm looking for inspiration. I reviewed Segreto Secretshere a few years ago, and could not wait to see all of the inspiring interiors in her latest book.

Now if you judge a book by it's cover like I do, you will probably be happy just having SEGRETOvignettes simply sitting on your coffee table. It's top of the stack-worthy. I mean, the puppy. You can't cover those sweet puppy dog eyes. I actually gasped "oh my gosh!" when I pulled the book out of the box it arrived in! It's just so pretty!

It contains a wealth of information that I needed to know more about, but didn't know I needed to know until I read it if that makes sense.

For instance, I didn't know I was into stenciling. I'm embarrassed to admit my knowledge of stencils in interiors came from Pinterest and HGTV. I had no idea how truly sophisticated it can look in a room and what an amazing design solution it can be.

Here a stencil pattern was created from a discontinued wallpaper pattern

In the book, Leslie talks about using a stencil in place of wallpaper when there are lots of tricky nooks, when you want to enhance a specific pattern or complement a special feature in the room.

There are also sections devoted to plaster, murals, painted floors, wood finishes, and different types of outdoor finishes.

The painted floor in this entry brings in a fun, conversational element to a room that normally wouldn't get much attention. (I could see my kids jumping from circle to circle for hours in here while I look at magazines - this is how I think)

Leslie posted about her own living room mural awhile back. It's always been a favorite. The images of her home in this book are some of my favorites!

Leslie is a fellow lover of the Blaygeen color or what I less eloquently refer to as Bluish-greenish-gray. And yes, she has a section about the elusive, but well-loved color, which gives you tips on how to get it just right. You can see she definitely got it right in her own home (pictured above) when she color-washed her existing mural and painted the wood-work. Everything you need to know about that process is also in the book, of course!

Another stencil project with the added perk of super awesome and functional design solutions for a small laundry room.

I learned a new term from SEGRETOvignettes: slurrying. It's a process of plastering brick, and it's one of those things I would have admired on a house, but then had no idea how to replicate.

Slurried brick

Now I know!

Also, did you know you can paint tile? This is a debate my husband and I often have. I'm of the opinion you can paint anything if you do it right. He's not convinced. Well, here you go:

Straight out of the book.

In addition to all of the finishing styles, SEGRETOvignettes offers room by room advice with some of the prettiest interiors. And not only is it filled with pretty pictures, but it's loaded with information about the pictures - paint colors, fabric sources, plumbing fixtures. It's all right there.

From kitchens to bathrooms to bedrooms, SEGRETOvignettes is basically a tome on how to do things right in your house whether you are building, renovating or just wanting a refreshing fix. The "Tips From The Experts" section is one of my favorites in the book. It answers all of my questions - how do you find the perfect white? How do I select a countertop? Choose an architect? Style with slipcovers?

Can you tell I'm excited?!

I'm highly recommending this book for anyone who loves pretty interiors or ever feels like they know what they want to do in their home, but don't know how to go about it - a problem us non-professional design enthusiasts have all the time. I know you all will love this book as much as I do!

2 comments
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Wow!! I was behind on my blog reading and was so super excited and surprised this morning when I was playing catch up!! I want to reread the book after your review!!! I love your blog and am so honored that you featured the book here!! I so hope you enjoy!! Thanks again! xo Leslie

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